"Product" Board

[valk]

Might be useful to start a separate board for "Products and Tools" so folks can get an opinion on stuff like wax, paint, oil, detailing stuff, carb sync tools, fuel lines, air/oil filters, gauges, tires, plugs, tires, etc. Just a thought. 

[MRJBUICK]

Sounds good to me   here goes

 

my wax of choice

Collinite Insulator Wax

hands down probably the best wax i have ever used with great staying power

no abrasive just a wax

ask around at car shows you might be surprised how many people use it

Marty

 

[dei]

Cleaning up Chrome:

I've had great success with both Mothers liquid but more using Autosol metal polish

 

This is the result using micro fibre cloth's by hand on original chrome pieces having sat for years.

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon or evening.

[valk]

My go-to metal polish is a tub of Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish.  Works very well on any non-plated metal surface. I also use it to clean up old chrome as it has gentle abrasives in it that cleans up pits and discoloration. Been researching wax and 2 products seem to be at the top, Pinnacle Signature and Wolfgang Fuzion. Both cost a lot and I'm wonderong if it's worth it. Anybody have any experience with these? 

[dei]

WAX:

My car was painted prior to my purchasing it in 1972.

Red paint has a tendency to fade when exposed to the sun and with effort used Turtle Wax on it for years.

A few years ago I was told to try this  product.

  

It really works well for my 50 year old repaint.

 

[dship]

I've been very happy with Turtle Wax ICE and Eagle One Nano detail sprays.  Can't tell you the last time I used a paste wax with all the current technology associated with detail sprays of today. 

[MRJBUICK]

i'm on board with the Autosol also had some nice results with it

[Gene Brink]

Thanks for suggesting, Valk.

 

Until two years ago - Never Dull Wadding for metal polishing (works on chrome as well) but now find Blue Magic Metal Cream Polish to be the best I've ever used (and that include dozens of them).

Plenty of waxes give more than satisfactory results provided you use regularily - don't think you can actually be wrong with any brand name stuff (i.e. - Turtle Wax, et al - NOT something you have never heard of) assuming you are using a product compatible with your paint. Currently using Meguiars,  Mothers, Classic and Nu Finish (paste) and Meguiars  and Mothers (liquid), and Meguirs detail spray. Not much difference between any of the paste or liquid but the detail spray falls short unless the wax is already "primo." (Must confess I feel better after using paste - must the amount of effort makes me feel as though I've accomplished more somehow. Black Magic used to make a paste wax that was the best I ever used - but was the hardest wax I've ever used [which may be why it isn't around any longer].)

 

Darn - this makes me want to wax my wife's car...😉

Edited February 16, 2020 by Gene Brink
Mistakenly replaced Blue Magic with Collinite wax originally. (see edit history)

[valk]

I've heard good things about Collinite. But has anyone ever used Pinnacle Signature or Wolfgang Fuzion waxes? They are very expensive and I'm wondering if they are worth the extra dough.

 

I bought and used some Calyx, an exhaust manifold rub-on paint and it works ok. It certainly goes on easy but the finish looks a bit cheesy, like it was painted. Better than my rusty look but no one is going to confuse my manifold with a new one. 

Edited February 10, 2020 by valk (see edit history)

[dei]

I have not heard of those wax products but might try one on one of my other cars to see how it compares to the Mothers California Gold.

That car is black so if it livens up the old repaint like the red car, hooray!

Edited February 10, 2020 by dei (see edit history)

[NTX5467]

There used to be a Meguiar's "Show Car Glaze" that would replenish the oils in the paint.  It did deepen the colors a bit, but will not make the dulled-with-time metallic bits sparkle again.  The Meguiar's "red bottle" cleaner wax always worked good for me, but they have many newer products now, but the "red bottle" is still the basic cleaner wax I use, then followed by the fancier/newer stuff.  Their "beige bottle" polishing compound has "grit" which goes away after so much activity, so finer "cuts" can be made by hand.  I was using that stuff back in the later '70s before "Mothers" products came to this part of the world (DFW, TX).

 

Dealing with a new finish is one thing (as it just needs protection), but trying to make an older finish "pop" again can take time, expertise, and particular products to make it happen as good as it can.  Which can be a very variable situation, by observation.  

 

Check your local paint supply stores to see what they have, too, as they sometimes have different products that what the local auto supply stores might have, even in the same brand.  Even before 3M bought the Meguiar's businesses, they had more products than ever before.  This is where downloading an online catalog(s) can make things easier.

 

Enjoy making "the shine" happen!

NTX5467

Edited February 14, 2020 by NTX5467 (see edit history)

[RivNut]

Mirror Car Glaze fills in the imperfections in the paint so that all light is reflected in the same direction.  Once you have that applied, then you can apply a coat of protective wax.  To get it right look at the reflection of a fluorescent light in you paint.  You should see a mirror image with no waves.  

[EmTee]

On 2/13/2020 at 10:21 PM, NTX5467 said:

here used to be a Meguiar's "Show Car Glaze" that would replenish the oils in the paint.

 

Yes, it's their #7 product.  My GP was 'flat white' when I bought it.  After a couple of applications of Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze it actually has a shine.  The trick is to not follow the directions, which say to wipe on and then wipe right off.  Leave it on until it dries (I let it go overnight the first time) then wipe off.  It's difficult to remove when dry, however, so have several terrycloth towels handy.  The result was worth it though and it's non-abrasive, so I didn't have to worry about rubbing through my tissue-thin original lacquer.  See the transformation using this method on a weathered 1973 Lincoln at the link below...

 

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/25304-secret-removing-oxidation-restoring-show-car-finish-antique-single-stage-paints.html

Edited February 15, 2020 by EmTee (see edit history)

[RivNut]

One thing you want to do before applying any glze or wax is to remove any contaminants from the paint.  Do this with a clay bar.  I use Meguiars Quick Detailer as a lubricant for the clay bar.  There are some videos on YouTube that show how to use a clay bar.  Watch one of them and see what it takes to see if you should use one.  If you've never used one before, you're in for a big treat.

[NTX5467]

I have had good luck with the "put it on, let it dry" action, too.  After the first coat, buff it as good as you can, then put another coat on about a week later.  That one can be removed a bit sooner and more easily.  Then apply Meguairs "straight wax" over it, doing the coat a week procedure with that, too.

 

The old acrylic enamel paints usually "come back" nicely, but if it's a lighter metallic that's "already gone", on the horizontal body surfaces, you can buff it all the way to the primer before you get any shine back.  The vertical body sections shine nicely, though.

 

When using an orbital buffer, do NOT get a thick pad for it!  The pad will be thick enough that it will remain stationary on the body as the buffer does it's orbital "shaking". motions.  The thick buffing pads are good for the non-orbital units ONLY.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467 

[valk]

I just used some Mcguires #7 after claying and it works great. Topped it off with Mothers Canauba Wax and I don't believe the paint can look any better. On to the undercarriage - has anyone tried dry ice cleaning of the undercarriage? Looks like the way to go. Typical of this area,  there is no one offering this service near me (Maryland) so it may be moot unless I buy the equipment.  I could also use a lift but, again in this car hobby deficient area, there is no place within a thousand miles that will rent me one. Dry ice cleaning is intriguing...

Peter

'41 Roadmaster 76S